Early February Stuff.

[sechan19]

I saw the ghost of Sakyamuni again the other day, so I must conclude that he lives somewhere in Yokohama station.  I actually think that's a good thing, times being what they are.  It actually snowed the other evening (finally got to be the right combination of temperature and inclement weather), and Yokohama station - which is a mostly indoor and subterranean complex - is the size of a small village anyway.

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I've discovered that in Japanese, as in English, there are things that I'm good at and things that I'm not (and that these things are largely the same in both languages - which says to me that my linguistic failings are not the result of lack of effort or ability, but are instead directly tied to the way I process and share information).

I'm not good at:

• making up examples or speaking off the cuff in an argument.

I am good at:

• writing essays & speeches and moderating discussions.

Go figure.

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A professor gave me some roasted soybeans with which to celebrate setsubun, a festival for the beginning of the new season (in this case, spring).  The beans are used in a ritual called mamemaki (bean-scattering).  The basic principle is that you scatter some of the beans out the door of your home to frighten the demons away, and then eat the rest for luck.  I'll probably do it, but part of me does feel bad for the demons.  It's not their fault, after all...

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There's more that I want to report on, but I can't think of it right now.  So I'll just leave you all with this really cute commercial, advertising sushi for 90 yen a plate.  It's a deal so good that it causes a man to not notice an alien invasion (much to the consternation of said aliens).

Via.

Comments

[lordameth.livejournal.com]

You're probably right. Given this age of 末法 we're living in, if Shaka himself is hanging around, it can only be a good thing. Maybe he's here to help fix things.